


One More Thing

by EllieRose101



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: F/M, Season/Series 05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-05-31 16:03:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19429372
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EllieRose101/pseuds/EllieRose101
Summary: Before leaving Buffy to deal with the fallout of the bombshell about Glory’s true nature, one member of the Watcher’s Council has some parting words for the Slayer about a particular vamp. She did her thesis on him, didn’t you know?





	One More Thing

**Author's Note:**

> Behold, perhaps one of the most frustrating conversations you will ever read.  
> Just a bit of fun :)

One Shot 

“Miss Summers?” Lydia approached Buffy and ran her finger along the edge of her glasses making the Slayer wonder if all watchers had a nervous obsession with eyewear.

“What?”

“It’s just– well, if I might have a moment?”

Buffy stopped punching the bag Giles had only just put back in place and turned to look at the woman fully. “What?” she said again, crossing her arms.

“It’s about William.” Buffy gave her a look and she soldiered on. It wouldn’t take Travers long to pack up and be on his way. There wasn’t time for dawdling. “Spike. He’s, shall we say, special.”

“Special?” Buffy repeated, frowning. “What are you talking about?”

Leaning close, Lydia lowered her voice and said, “I did my thesis on him. It really was fascinating.”

Buffy took a step back, not wanting the other woman in her personal space. The conversation was already _wayyy_ weird, and she didn't even really know what it was about, yet. “Has Spike been causing trouble again? What did he say?”

Lydia smiled to herself in a way that made the Slayer’s eyes narrow for a reason she wouldn’t allow herself to think about.

“It’s not about talk, Miss Summers,” she said, sounding almost offended.

Miss Summers. _William_. God, Buffy hated how the Watchers talked about them. As if they were in Victorian times. _Wait. Was Victoria still around when Spike was born?_ Buffy shook her head, irritated by the distraction. She had an actual god to fight!

“Cut to the chase, Lyds, What _is_ it about, then?”

“Well, actions,” said Lydia.

Buffy’s fists clenched. “What did he do? If he really is causing trouble again, I swear I’ll-”

Lydia shrieked, “No!” so vehemently that she seemed to surprise herself as much as the Slayer.

Buffy found her eyes narrowing again while the woman looked down and straightened her already perfectly straight outfit.

“No, Buffy,” Lydia corrected herself in a calm, rational tone of voice, once she had regained control of herself.

_Huh_ , thought Buffy. _She slips into calling me my name when she’s not thinking about it. I guess there must be someone behind the mask after all._ With a small gesture, she invited her to carry on. _This better be good._

“Ahem, as I was saying,” Lydia began, “Spike is special. He hasn’t done anything wrong, and I would not recommend being cruel to him.”

_What the hell?_ Equal parts irritated and confused, Buffy was seriously considering telling Quentin that he had a crazy person working for him when Lydia carried on to say, “The first draft of my thesis on William was not accepted.”

Buffy blinked, sure she was in the Twilight zone. “Okay?” she questioned, eyebrow raised, hoping to a non-glory-type god that sanity would present itself in the conversation sometime soon.

“I’m sure you know that William is set apart from a lot of vampires in a lot of ways,” Lydia continued.

“Uhh, I guess,” said Buffy.

“I recommend you keep an eye on him,” Lydia concluded, looking pleased with herself.

_Seriously?_ Buffy rolled her eyes. “That’s all you came to tell me? That doesn’t even make sense!”

Lydia’s expression turned pained. “It’s of the utmost importance that continued study be carried out!” she insisted, “William is truly one of a kind.”

The jealousy Buffy felt at hearing the other woman gush over Spike racked up to such a palpable level that even her powers of denial couldn’t mask what it really was.

“Fine,” she said, practically grinding her teeth. “Whatever. My eyes are kept.”

Lydia smiled at her and Buffy had to beat down the urge to physically kick her out of the training room. It was supposed to be a place to let off steam, not build up so much frustration you could power a locomotive. Thankfully, Lydia made for the door. A step away from it, though, she turned and said, “Oh. Just one more thing.”

Buffy actually growled out loud, which again surprised them both. “What?” she demanded. She had zero tolerance for pleasantries or overwrought language left.

Lydia seemed to have sensed this, finally, because she became hurried in saying, “As a watcher, I am forbidden from saying this.”

Buffy took a steadying breath. “But?” she prompted.

“ _But_ ,” said Lydia. “As a woman…”

Rolling her eyes, Buffy took ten seconds to count all of the swear words she’d ever heard, most of which she’d learnt from Spike. “I don’t believe this,” she said when she was done. “You want to give me relationship advice, is that it? _You_. Aren’t watchers like celibate or something? Wait, no, it’s just that you’re all just too stuck up to actually attract someone. Seriously, we’re talking about _Spike_. This is _so_ not the time!”

With a face betraying great bravery and complete sincerity, Lydia said, “Exactly.”

Buffy’s mouth opened like a fish. “Huh?”

“Miss Summers, this may be all the time you have left!”

Leaning back against the wall and clutching her head, Buffy tried to process that. “Let me get this straight,” she said. “Spike is special. So special that the rest of the council are concerned about him, and that you felt the need to tell me?” Looking up, she saw that Lydia nodded in agreement. Buffy then continued saying, “You think that – as a woman – I should be aware of Spike’s specialness?”

Lydia bit her lip and said, “Well–”

“Please,” said Buffy, holding up a hand, “Summarize. Twenty words or less.” She was very tempted to allot the woman the same five-word limit she’d once given Spike, but she figured that would either make Lydia’s head explode with the impossible task or have her spend thirty minutes trying to carefully select each word, one at a time.

It surprised Buffy, then, when Lydia said, “Spike loves you. Don’t discount that.” And she didn’t indeed discount it. She spent the first four weeks of summer after Spike had singlehandedly saved her sister thinking about nothing else.


End file.
